Hotel Z

Recent Reviews: 2015

• User:Cew00

  Trip type: Business

  Strong staff and management response elevate a stay with great potential

  30 May 2026

  Overall, a stay with strong positives and clear potential. The room was clean, well-designed, and more spacious than many European hotels. The staff were a real highlight, especially Cynthia, who was exceptionally helpful and responsive throughout my stay and even after checkout.I also want to acknowledge the professional follow-up from management, which was thoughtful, transparent, and sincerely apologetic regarding the communication issue around late checkout and the room being entered despite the “Do Not Disturb” sign. This level of engagement genuinely stood out and is what led me to upgrade my rating from 3/5 on Expedia to 4/5 here.There are still a few areas for improvement. The A/C units are somewhat noisy when the compressor kicks in, and clearer communication at check-in about housekeeping frequency (including towel changes every other day) would further enhance the guest experience.Overall, a comfortable and pleasant stay with excellent staff support and strong responsiveness from management. With a few operational refinements and the planned refurbishment, this hotel has very good potential, and I would be happy to return. General Manager, Guest Services / Front Office at Hotel Z, Gaslamp, responded to this review Dear Cew00,We appreciate you sharing such a detailed review of your stay. It's wonderful to hear you found our rooms comfortable and the staff, especially Cynthia, supportive and quick to assist. We also take your recognition of our management's efforts to heart—it is vital for us to be transparent and responsive.Your suggestions about the A/C units and the need for clearer communication at check-in are insightful. These are precisely the types of observations that help us refine our services and uphold the highest standards of hospitality.Thank you once more, and we're glad you see potential in our establishment and plan to return. We shall be looking forward to welcoming you back, offering an even more seamless experience on your next visit.

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• User:montez42

  Trip type: Couples

  Not So Luxurious Gaslamp View

  25 May 2026

  Very disappointing experience. I booked the “King Junior Suite - Gaslamp Quarter View” specifically because it was advertised as offering a “front-row view of San Diego’s iconic Gaslamp Quarter.” In reality, the view was just a tight courtyard/alley with no meaningful view of the Gaslamp at all. Advertising this as a luxurious Gaslamp view feels very misleading.I tried working directly with the hotel to resolve the issue, but they refused to take any action or offer any accommodation.The room itself was also not in great condition. It had an unpleasant smell, and the carpet was stained and frayed to the point where exposed carpet tacking near the restroom poked our feet. There were also pigeons nesting outside the window with a large amount of feces, making noise early in the morning.The staff were not very welcoming and often acted like they did not want to be there. During check-in, I asked for a gym pass because I planned to head there afterward, but I was told I had to come back later to get one. This was especially inconvenient considering the gym is nearly half a mile away.Overall, this stay did not match what was advertised or expected, and the customer service only added to the frustration. General Manager, Guest Services / Front Office at Hotel Z, Gaslamp, responded to this review Dear Montez42,Thank you for bringing your concerns to our attention. We're truly sorry that your experience didn't meet your expectations, and appreciate your detailed feedback. Our intention is to offer a comfortable, welcoming environment, and it's clear we did not deliver on that promise in your case.We're deeply regretful about your room condition, and the service you received — this is not typical of our team. We will use your valuable feedback to ensure these issues are addressed and improved upon.We hope to have a future opportunity to better serve you and change your impression of our services.

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• User:Ray Y

  Trip type: Couples

  Good location, comfortable, but dirty, dingy, not as advertised, and bogus fees.

  16 May 2026

  Overview: The reservation was botched, the photos are misleading, and the hotel was dirty and unkept. Furniture was falling apart and lamps were broken and they charge extra bogus amenity fees for no reason. Between booking the hotel and the reservation the hotel ownership/management changed from "Stay Pineapple" to just "Hotel Z" and they added a pet fee to their "pet-friendly" policy - AFTER I chose and booked the hotel.Our disappointment began at booking.I made a reservation several weeks in advance of our trip from the hotel's website.At the time, the hotel was branded as "Stay Pineapple". I never received any email confirmation.By the time the trip approached, I was unsure of whether or not the reservation was booked or not. I didn't see a charge on my credit card, and it became clear that the hotel had either changed management or they dropped their franchise of "Stay Pineapple" and now were just "Hotel Z"I called Hotel Z and spoke to the reservations department - the woman absolutely refused to confirm whether or not I had an existing reservation in my name. She wouldn't tell me if there was a reservation in my name. I gave her the last 4 digits of all my credit cards and she said none of them were correct (this was a lie) and I got the feeling she could see very well I had a reservation by the questions she was asking but refused to even confirm if she saw my name in the system. Oh well, I had no email confirmation, and no charge on my credit card so I assumed that it had not been made.I made another reservation. That's when I noticed that they started changing the website (almost before my eyes. Everyday it said something new) and adding a pet fee that was NOT there before. We were bringing our dogs, so I combed the entire website before for all the details and it only said they were the most dog friendly hotel in San Diego. After driving hours, we arrived to check in, only to find out that there are actually two reservations in my name. Gratefully, the woman at the front desk was excellent and fixed the problem. The best thing about our stay was the staff - everyone we encountered were lovely.The Amenity Fee. There is a bogus daily "amenity fee". They call it that, because they can't call it a resort fee. There is no gym. There is no pool. Really they shouldn't be even charging this because there are no "amenities" for this fee except a water faucet in the lobby to refill your $4 dollar water bottle. They brag about "cookies stacked high" but there were no cookies any time. There was a coffee caraffe out sometimes, but it was empty everytime we tried to use it. No tea, either in the room or lobby. I know this because we had our dogs with us - and I went down to let them out every 2 hours every day. There are bikes to borrow, which is a very hip Instagram look, but not something the vast majority of guests will want to use, but we're being charged for it anyway. They say you can have a day pass to a gym nearby but it is SIX BLOCKS away. Again, a fake amenity that very few will use, but they will pocket that fee anyway. This fee is outright bogus and does not pay for anything useful. In the end, the "Welcome" seltzer water we got at check in costs us $60. Even if they followed through on beverages and cookies, they cannot charge $30 a day for that. Absolutely outrageous. While we're on the subject of fees, they also implemented a $75 pet fee after I booked the reservation. Which is a bit pricey compared to most other hotels and I would have expected a hotel that brags to be "San Diego's top-rated hotel on BringFido" to provide a pet relief area but we had to walk a couple blocks to Margaritaville for that. There was no pet amenities around the hotel and the fee is yet again, for nothing except for them to pocket.The Room:We booked a King Junior Suite. It was really a huge disappointment in so many ways. It did not match the layout or cleanliness of the photos in any way. Throughout the hotel, upholstery and carpets have become dingy and stained since the photos they use were taken. Every sofa, elevator bench, carpet all looked worse for wear, and it was extended into the room. The worst part about the bedroom was that it was a weird "long hallway" shape. The Aircon was a good 35 ft from the bed. Although the layout of the room was awkward and uncomfortable, it would have worked the condition of the room was disappointing. The couch was basically unusable - again, stained and dingy, but it was a sofa bed that no longer collapsed correctly and the cushions were at all angles and there was no flat surface to sit on. The lamps were damaged, the blinds were damaged both with holes and in their mechanisms, and in the bathroom, the shower head was crusty and didn't spray right. The "Tommy Bahama" bath products were some of the worst hotel hygeine products I've ever used. Oh, and the TV was shot. It was barely watchable because the LED lights indside had burned through the screen. They offered a "courtyard view" which was ridiculous. There's no courtyard. There's literally a dingy alleyway space between exterior walls that you couldn't even walk in. All you could see was directly into the other person's room windows; they were literally a few feet from our window. The room was the noisiest hotel room I've ever experienced between the constant banging of the elevator outside our room, the machinery on the roof, and the other room's doors slamming which would shake the entire long wall of the "hallway" length room - which also happened to be the wall the bed's headboard was attached to - so whenever a neighbor left their room the whole entire room would shake boom, and shake our headboard. The bed itself was great. The linens pillows and the matress were very comfortable and luxurious.The Location:This is the best part of the stay. The Gaslamp District is amazing and lively and there is nothing you will want. Although there are no shortages of alternative hotels on the same block with the same location, we were pleased with everything at the doorstep.And before anyone chimes in trying to blame us for these problems, no we did not bring them up with management. 1. The hotel should be as advertised without complaints from customers.2. What are we going to do? Have them steam clean all the carpets while we sit and wait?3. Much of what was wrong was not a problem that could be fixed by staff on site. It is bad policies, and lack of care in management.

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• User:Chris B

  Trip type: Business

  Nice but basic

  24 Mar 2026

  Nice and clean hotel but very basic, the only real complaint with respect to my room was the exceptionally noisy air conditioning which I couldn't manage to switch off.

• User:Jerry J

  Trip type: Couples

  Great location and wonderful beds

  14 Mar 2026

  Great hotel in a good place. Extremely nice beds! You would love it here Aaron Calvillo, Other at Hotel Z, Gaslamp, responded to this review Hello Jerry, Thanks for your awesome review! It's great to see you enjoyed our location and beds! it warms our heart to have your recommendation!we hope we get the opportunity to welcome you back for another stay in the future!